Alberta Culture and Tourism – Budget 2015
October 27, 2015
This afternoon, Minister of Finance Joe Ceci delivered our government’s first budget – a common sense plan that balances investments to stabilize critical public services with action to reduce spending to deal with current fiscal challenges.
Budget 2015 and the Government of Alberta’s 3-Year Plan addresses the effects of depressed oil prices while ensuring vital programs and services are maintained to limit impacts on Albertans as much as possible. Budget 2015 is also the first step in our long-term strategy to create new opportunities for investment toward building a more diversified, resilient and sustainable economy that will in turn produce good, mortgage-paying jobs that are less susceptible to the rollercoaster of fluctuating commodity prices.
Already, Alberta’s culture and tourism entrepreneurs are among the drivers of economic diversification. Budget 2015 provides opportunity for continued growth in our cultural industries, support for our community-based nonprofit organizations and significant investments to expand Alberta’s tourism industry. The measures outlined in Budget 2015 and our 3-year business plan, combined with the innovation and entrepreneurial spirit of our culture and tourism partners will help us to build an economy that will enable us to weather the impacts – and take full advantage of the opportunities – of the global economy.
Alberta Culture and Tourism’s budget for 2015-16, including operating and capital spending is $329.6 million. Budget 2015 provides significant support to the culture and tourism sectors while reflecting the need to be fiscally prudent.
While our province faces significant challenges, as Minister of Culture and Tourism I am confident that the resiliency and creativity of our stakeholders is the key to the ongoing success of our culture and tourism sectors. Those successes are the result of your hard work and commitment. Our commitment is to continue to work with you – to help you achieve many new milestones on the road ahead.
I look forward to connecting with you in the days and weeks ahead as we move forward to achieve our mutual goals together.
David Eggen
Minister
Culture and Tourism